Movember Grooming Tips For the Dude In Your Life

If your normally clean-shaven husband or boyfriend is participating in Movember this year, he’s probably in a—ahem—hairy situation right now. We’re already one week in, which is enough time for his prickly shadow to bypass the "unruly bristles" stage and morph into "Albert Einstein-face." It’s also long enough for a mustache novice (and his less-than-thrilled lady) to lose all hope.

Your guy’s scraggly lip hair, however, can be salvaged. According to Michael Curcio, a shaving specialist at The New York Shaving Company, an old-fashioned "tonsorial" (the old Latin word used by barbers that means "to cut and shear") parlor in New York City, the key to a handsome ‘stache starts with good grooming habits.

"When you are growing out facial hair, you want to clean it and condition it," he explained to me. "The goal is to have it resemble the hair on your head, which is soft and full."

To achieve this, Michael insists that men must pay special care to the products stocked in their medicine cabinets. Without the right materials, even the best of efforts can result in razor burn, uneven lines and "frumping," which is when a mustache droops. He also recommends that dudes visit their local shave shop every few weeks for an expert opinion and consultation, a ritual he compares to women getting regular mani/pedis.

"Shaving shouldn’t be a privilege," he passionately told me. "It should be a right."

Click through the slideshow below for more of Michael’s tips and product picks. And to get your guy some manly pampering in person, visit Nyshavingcompany.com for parlor locations and information.